Secrets Discovered
by A. Heimby
Summary: Keen has been hiding something from Ressler and the rest of the team but Don is going to get to the bottom of it. The look on his partners face lately is to much to take. He will get to the bottom of it, no matter what.
1. Chapter 1

He had his suspicions before, he knew something was up with Keen the second she showed up late to the debriefing, but later when he asked her if it had to do with Tom, he could see that far more was going on. As he looked at her face he could have sworn he saw an angry spark in her eyes at the mention of her husband, but what bothered him more was the pain and hurt that was also written across her face. She looked like someone that had been betrayed by the person they loved. At least to a trained agent, that was what was written across her face. He had seen it before and he hated seeing it now.

He let her go without saying anything about what he saw, too confused to even think of what he could say, or ask. She was clearly trying to keep whatever it was hidden so he decided to let it lie, for now at least. He had a case after all. He needed to focus on that, not his partner's marriage. So he simply let her go with a, "Take all the time you need". He gently patted her shoulder before walking away wanting to be able to comfort her at least little, show a little support. He hated seeing that look on her face and once this case was over, he was going to get to the bottom of it.

THE BLACKLIST

As Elizabeth jumped out of the SUV she ran toward Ressler, taking in the scene. The man they had been looking for was standing on top of a hill, a bomb strapped to his chest, and a frightened looking man a few feet away. She quickly told them the hostage negotiator was on the way and took up her place next to her partner. Before she knew what was happening he was jogging up the hill toward the man and all she could do was hold her breath and trust he knew what he was doing.

She knew what was coming as Ressler started walking the hostage toward them in cuffs. She was a profiler after all, she knew when a man was on a suicide mission, but she still dropped to the ground on instinct when the explosion went off. She didn't waste any time though getting back up on her feet to make sure her partner was okay. Even though she could see he was fine physically, she could also see that he wasn't so fine emotionally. She could see sadness on his face as he stood back up, dragging the man in cuffs up as well.

He said nothing else until they were back at The Post Office. Even then all he said was that he was going to go help process the now dead man's home. She wanted to say something, anything, to make him feel better, but she could think of nothing that would make what happened okay, make everything that had happened to the poor man recently okay, so instead she had simply mimicked his own gesture from before. She gently put her hand on his arm, giving him a sad smile, before he walked away. She would have offered to go along and help, but she knew she had to get back her secret room. She had to get to the bottom of her own problems at the minute; she would worry about Ressler later, when he would actually let her. Right now, with that look on his face, she knew it would be futile.

THE BLACKLIST

Ressler found himself lost in his own mind. He had spent most of the night drinking, trying to get out of his thoughts, but the more he drank the worse it got. The more he tried to forget, the more he remembered. Not only the look on the man's face as it became clear what he intended to do, or the memory of holding Audrey in his arms as she died, but also Elizabeth Keen. His thoughts had quickly turned to her, her odd behaviour over the last little while. By the time he passed out on his couch, all he could see was the look on her face after he asked her if it was about Tom. The slow sad nod she had given him.

When he woke up the next day he vowed to himself he would start trying to figure out what was going on. The more he thought of that look on her face, the more his gut twisted. Keen was good at keeping her face neutral when she wanted to, but the pain he had seen was so clear to him now, it frightened him a little because he was pretty sure she was trying to hide it.

He was only further frightened when she showed up at The Post Office, clearly upset. She was late, so he was looking for her, which was the only reason he saw the look on her face. By the time she had actually gotten to him, Aram and Meera her face was blank, devoid of any emotion at all. The look of disgust, hate, and betrayal gone, but he had seen it clear as day.

Meera and Aram walked off to get some coffee, now deep in conversation, after sending a quick greeting to Elizabeth, so he was lucky to find himself alone with her. He was about to ask what was going on with her, but before he could do more than open his mouth Cooper appeared at his side, informing them that there was paper work that needed to be done. He wanted to protest but he was a better agent than that so instead he just nodded.

Keen started to walk away when Cooper left but Donald reached out and grabbed her elbow. As she turned back she looked at him for the first time since she arrived and he was shocked by what he saw. His mouth was opened like he was about to say something, but nothing came out. He couldn't get past the haunted look in her eyes or the pain that she couldn't quite keep from her face in that moment. He couldn't get past the fact that there was obviously something very wrong going on. Before he could get his thoughts straight she sent him a pleading look not to pry before gently pulling her elbow from his hand and walking away. All he could do was stand there looking at her retreating form, all too aware that she wasn't headed to her desk to do her work, but seemingly headed for the exit.


	2. Chapter 2

He knew it was probably a bad idea. For many, many reasons, it was a bad idea, but before he knew it he was behind the wheel of one of the SUV's and tailing Keen. As he followed seemingly unnoticed, he didn't know if he was happy about it, or frightened by it. On one hand he could follow her, but on the other it was all too telling that something was wrong if she didn't notice she was being tailed.

When he saw her pulling up in front of her house he thought maybe he had overreacted, but he told himself that he hadn't imagined that look of her face before, so he parked a couple houses down, ready to stick with his plan. It didn't go unnoticed as he watched her stop at her own front door. At first he thought maybe she had forgotten her key, but as he watched her visibly shake herself he knew that wasn't the case. She was readying herself for something; something inside her house, which he could only assume was her husband.

As her hand reached out for the doorknob he saw her look over her shoulder and the fear he saw on her face almost had him jumping out of his vehicle and heading toward the house himself. All he could think was, "Why is she afraid to go inside her own home?" His gut clenched again as a possibility crossed his mind and he asked himself, "Is Tom hurting her?" There were no unexplained injuries he knew about but he also knew abuse came in more ways than just physically.

He didn't have much time for what if's though after Elizabeth went inside, because no more than a few minutes later, she was coming out again. Tom appeared in the door behind her, kissing her goodbye before watching her leave. However, Tom didn't see what Ressler saw when she turned around to head back to her vehicle. There was a clear look of disgust and hate on her face that had him baffled and all the more resolute that he was going to figure this out.

THE BLACKLIST

As Elizabeth got in her car, all too aware of her husband's eyes on her back, she tried to stop the shiver of disgust. All she managed though was to be safely in her car, where Tom couldn't see it, before she felt it up her spine. She quickly gathered herself, not wanting to give Tom any reason to be suspicious, before she pulled away from the house. She had to meet Red to go to her little hidey-hole before going back to work.

While she was driving she could have sworn she was being followed, afraid it was Tom, she looked for his car, but when she didn't see it she told herself she was being paranoid. She put it out of her mind as she parked, a few good blocks away. It wasn't long before Red's car pulled up, and the man himself was getting out of the car. After a quick exchange of pleasantry's he opened the door for her, and she slipped into the car while he went around to the other side. She noticed him throwing a look over his shoulder and pausing before getting in, but when she asked him what he was looking at he simply smirked and said nothing. She narrowed her eyes at the obvious lie, but didn't say anything. If it was cause for concern he would have said so.

THE BLACKLIST

Ressler sat patiently as he watched Keen simply standing by her car. To say he was surprised when a car pulled up and Red got out would be a major understatement. He knew that she went to him about cases, but this didn't seem to be about a case. He didn't know a personal life existed between the two, although he knew that Red wanted one. He had his suspicions about why, but in truth he really had no clue what anything meant when Red was involved. The man was contradiction after contradiction, and it gave him a headache just to think of the man and his actions too much.

He held his breath when Red stopped half way in the car, and threw a look over his shoulder in his direction, but even though the man looked right at him, he did nothing. Simply smirked and got in the car. As he followed them Ressler thought maybe they would try to throw him off their scent, but if anything it seemed like they were making it easier. They stopped at yellow lights, kept to the speed limit, and seemed to avoid high traffic areas, not that if was a long drive before they were parking.

He watched as Elizabeth got out of the car, seemingly oblivious to him. He saw her say something to Red, but he waved her on, and she soon disappeared behind a door. Red waited until the door was closed before turning on his heels and looking at Ressler. After quickly crossing the street, Red was sliding into the passenger seat of Ressler's SUV.

With a raised eyebrow, Red asked, "Are you tailing Lizzy?" Ressler found he couldn't say anything, simply staring at the man, his mouth half open. After a moment, Red seemed to give up hope of a response as he asked instead, "Is Cooper the one who put you up to this, or is this of your own volition?" The look he gave Ressler said that this was a question he had to answer, that he had no choice in the matter.

Clearing his throat first, he somewhat awkwardly answered, "Um, my own. Cooper doesn't even know I left the office." Red gave him a look like he was sizing him up before letting out a quick sigh.

Smirking slightly, he looked at him and said, "Well Donald, I expect an explanation but not right now, later. You're coming to my place for dinner tonight, but until then I suggest you get back to work." Red slid out of the SUV but leaned in the window after closing the door, adding, "Oh, and Lizzy won't be back for a little while so it would be great if you could cover for her." Tapping the roof of the car he threw in a "thanks" and walked away, soon disappearing behind the same door Liz had.

Don shook his head. He knew better than to think the invitation was anything less than a demand, so he knew he would show up. He wanted to get to the bottom of this, and it appeared that Red could help him do that, so he pulled out back into traffic, and headed back to work. He would get some answers later, and that was good enough for him, for the moment at least. Plus, he had a strange trust that Red would protect Elizabeth in the meantime.


	3. Chapter 3

It wasn't easy, but Ressler managed to cover for Keen. He even did some of her paper work, leaving it on her desk, so he could tell Cooper that she just stepped out for a moment. Cooper believed him, for the most part, so when she came back late in the afternoon Cooper didn't seem to think much of it, probably assuming she had gone out for a late lunch or something.

It didn't take Keen long to realize he had covered for her, so she sent him a thankful smile. Don simply nodded back in acknowledgment before turning back to his own work that needed to be done. He was still writing up the incident report explaining why he approached a man strapped with a bomb.

However, Don found himself looking up far too often from the paperwork on his desk to look at Keen. She had on a mask again so he couldn't tell how she was doing, and it was bothering him. He kept hoping he would look up at just the right moment when her mask slipped, but if never happened. For the next few hours she kept the same blank look on her face as she wrote up her report. By the time he had to leave to make it to Red's he found himself in an irritated mood. He just wanted to know what was wrong.

THE BLACKLIST

Elizabeth was grateful when she got back to work to discover she had hardly been missed. She quickly realized that Ressler must have covered for her because when Cooper walked by he simply nodded, like he always did. She sent Ressler a silent thank you, and much like Cooper, he simply nodded. She didn't waste time jumping into her work. She had to get as much done as fast as possible so she could go back to working her own case against her husband, and still be keeping up at work so people would be none the wiser.

She was a little surprised though when Don got up not long after six, preparing to leave. He was usually the last one out of the office, most of all these days. She even suspected he had stayed the night a time or two burning the midnight oil. He sent her a small smile as he said good night, which she returned with her own paper thin smile. She saw something cross his face, something like pain, before he turned away, but after he was no longer in her view she told herself she had imagined it, or that he had probably simply thought about Audrey. She didn't think he had a reason to look at her like that; after all, it's not like he knew what was going on in her life in that moment.

She found her mind distracted as she looked back down at her files. She still hadn't talked to Don about what happened on the last case. She hadn't had a chance to, but she was still determined. Focusing back on the papers on her desk she decided that she would stop by his place later and see if she could talk to him. She didn't like the idea of him stewing in the last case alone for too long, not with everything that had been happening since Red came into their lives, or in Ressler's case, directly into his life. After her mind was made up, she found she could focus on her work again.

THE BLACKLIST

Don arrived at Red's with a nice bottle of red wine in hand, as well as a nice brandy. He never knew what the other man wanted so he decided to play it safe. He figured if he stayed on Red's good side he would be able to figure out more of what was going on. When Dembe answered the door, he offered up the bottles and the other man smiled his approval.

As he was led into a giant dining room, Ressler couldn't keep the amazed look on his face. It truly was an impressive house. He didn't notice Red sitting at the head of the table until the man cleared his throat to get his attention. "Donald, how nice it is to see you my boy." Don was put off a little by the grin Red was sending him. If anything, it seemed too genuine.

Letting a somewhat awkward smile cross his own face, he nodded to the other man with a, "Reddington". Only a beat of time passed before he was asking, "What's going on with Elizabeth?"

Reddington chuckled to himself for a moment before saying, "Why don't you have a seat, Donald? Dinner is about to be served." Don knew better than to push Red so he sat down, resigned to the fact he would have to wait until Reddington saw fit to fill him in on what was going on. He knew that there had to be a reason for Red having him over, so he would wait.

Throughout dinner they talked about sports, about how Don had been doing as of late, even a little about the weather, but Red never brought up Liz, so neither did Don. He didn't want to bother the man if he was all that stood between him and the information he wanted.

Dessert was served with a tumbler of the brandy Ressler had brought as well as a folder. Don looked down at the folder as it was placed beside him with a raised eyebrow, throwing Red a questioning glance. The other man simply smirked and nodded at the folder, saying nothing. Slowly, Don picked it up and opened it. He couldn't say he was surprised to find a picture of Tom staring back at him, but he had been hoping he was wrong.

He took a minute to quickly flip through the file, taking in some old information that had come up when they investigated Tom Keen, but there was also new information. Don found himself unable to grasp everything he was reading, so he tore his eyes away from the file and looked back up at Red with a concerned frown.

Red was looking at him now with a sad smile and a dangerous glint in his eyes. The last time Don had seen that look was when Liz was in trouble, and a man had 'disappeared' after that. He could see the protectiveness shining in Reds eyes, and after reading the file in his hands, he had no doubts it was in his own eyes as well. When Don was finally able to speak the first thing he asked was, "Is she in trouble?" Before Red could answer, he added, "I assume she knows all this? That it is why she has been acting odd and why she's been absent?"

Red nodded slowly as the smile fell from his face. "She knows now. I've known for a while longer. I've suspected since this man, whoever he is, came into her life two years ago." He quirked his mouth to the side. Letting out a deep breath as he leaned forward, he continued, "I don't know if she is safe anymore, but if that man so much as raises a finger to my Lizzy he'll have to deal with me."

Don found his mind filling with millions of questions, but eventually one found its way to his mouth. Leaning toward Reddington, he asked, "You were keeping tabs on Liz two years ago?" Red gave him a look that clearly said he would not be answering that, so Don switched to, "Your Lizzy?" Upon receiving the same look again Don sat back in frustration, running a hand though his hair than down his face. Keeping a hand on his jaw, he asked something that Red may actually answer. "This has something to do with you, doesn't it?"

This time Red sighed, but answered, "Yes, I believe this has everything to do with me, unfortunately." Don could see regret behind Red's eyes, and felt like he could understand it. Obviously Red didn't like the idea of Liz getting caught in the cross-hairs because someone was after him.

After a moment of silence Don only had one more question to ask for the time being. "How can I help?"


	4. Chapter 4

Reddington smiled at the offered help. "For now, just keep an eye on her. I do my best to, but extra eyes can't hurt." He moved his chair a little closer to Don, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, his hands clasped. Looking up at Ressler, he said, "She trusts you, more than she trusts me, so simply make sure she knows she can come to you, with anything. I'm hoping she decides to bring you in on this herself because I can't afford to lose any more of her trust, but pretty soon I fear we will hit a wall only someone with your connections will be able to climb. Lizzy is too new to the FBI to have many of her own, and I can't poke around mine too much for fear of raising suspicions." He looked down at his clasped hands as he seemed to add to himself, "It's bad enough as it is without that."

Don waited until Reddington looked back up. Trying to make it as clear as possible so the other man would understand, he told him, "I will do anything and everything in my power to help protect her."

Reddington smiled sadly again as he sighed out, "If only her own husband felt that way."

Don watched a haunted look he had seen a few times now cross the older man's face. The look always made Don's heart hurt a little and he didn't quite get why, until now. A thought crossed his mind, and before he knew what he was saying he asked, "Have you been married before?" He had asked himself this question before, like when Red had talked to him after Audrey's death, but now it seemed all too likely. It would explain a lot about the man Ressler had spent years hunting.

The older man said nothing, simply looking at Ressler with pained eyes before changing the subject. "I believe that Lizzy will be stopping by your apartment tonight so it is probably time you get home so she doesn't beat you there." Don wanted to ask how Red knew that, but then thought better. Reddington knew because he was Reddington. He also seemed to know everything about Liz, so he told himself he shouldn't really be surprised.

Standing up, he shook hands with Reddington, and after a quick, "Thank you for dinner", he was headed toward the door. The thank you for the file was implied, both knowing it was best not to say anything. Ressler tucked the file in his coat as Dembe handed it to him, and soon enough Ressler found himself back in his SUV headed home down the dark streets, thousands of thoughts fighting to the forefront of his minds.

THE BLACKLIST

Elizabeth was surprised when a file shot between the doors of the elevator in Ressler's building, but even more surprised when it turned out to be the man himself, after all he had left work hours before her. When he saw her he looked surprised for a quick moment, but then sent her a small smile as he greeted her, asking, "Keen. What are you doing here?"

She could tell he wasn't upset or annoyed with her, so she answered with a simple, "I'm here to talk to you." She was smiling back lightly at him but she noticed his smile drop off for a second before returning. They didn't say anything else as the doors opened and they both exited, headed toward Don's apartment. Elizabeth waited outside at first when Don walked in, wanting to actually be invited in, but she didn't have to wait long. As Don was taking the key out of the door he motioned Liz in with a nod of his head.

She watched as Don walked over to a gun safe and deposited both his gun and the file he was holding. She was curious about the file for a moment since she both new they currently had no case, and that Ressler had not left work with a file, but she forced her mind off that and to the issue at hand. As she watched Ressler pouring two tumblers of what appeared to be scotch she asked, "How are you doing?"

Don raised an eyebrow as he handed her one of the glasses, but answered none the less. "I'm fine, considering." There was a beat of silence as they both sat down, Don on the couch and Liz in a chair, before he asked, "Why?"

She was looking into her glass as she said, "The last case seemed harder on you then most and with everything else that's happened I just wanted to make sure you where okay." She looked up at Don with a small smile as she added, "I also wanted to thank you for covering for me, and not just today."

He smiled slightly as he said, "It's what partners do; have each others backs." She was giving him a paper thin smile again, but she saw his smile drop from his face completely as he looked down into his own glass and added, "I do have you back, Liz. I hope you know that." He looked up at her as he said, "I hope you know you can trust me." He reached out a hand, laying it softly over one of hers, as he gently added, "With anything, Liz."

The complete seriousness of his face had her unable to speak for a moment, but when she finally found her voice she quietly replied, "I know, Don." She turned the hand under his over, and holding his hand in return, she herself said, "And I hope you know you can trust me with anything as well." A gentle smile returned to his face as he lightly squeezed her hand and nodded that he did know.

THE BLACKLIST

Don just held her hand for a few moments, both needing the comfort. When he did pull his hand away to lean back into the couch, he found he missed the warm comfort of her hand in his, but he pushed that thought from his mind, knowing he had to focus on the task at hand. Getting Keen to fill him in on what was going on with her husband.

After a few more minutes of silence, Don decided it would be best to be as straight forward as he could with the given limitations, so clearing his throat first, he asked, "Have you worked things out with Tom? It seems like you guys have been having some issues lately."

He didn't miss the quick flash of anger, betrayal and pain that crossed her face before she answered. "I don't think we'll be able to fix things this time." If the look on her face wasn't enough of a sign that something was wrong, the fact that she then threw back the rest of her drink would have been.

Don waited for her to elaborate, but when it was obvious she had no intention to he settled for standing up and refilling their drinks. She seemed grateful when she took the class from him, once again throwing the whole thing back in one go. Raising an eyebrow at the un-Keen like behaviour he handed her his own glass before sitting down again. He was a little grateful when she only sipped the drink this time.

They chatted for a while after that. Nothing big and serious, just little things, like the people they worked with. They spent more than a few minutes talking about Red and his oddities. Finally they lapsed into a comfortable silence, and when it became clear the Liz was in no state to drive Don offered up his couch, which Liz gratefully accepted.

Don couldn't help the frown that crossed his face when later he overheard Liz leaving her husband a voice mail saying she was pulling an all-nighter at the office. He didn't know how Liz managed to keep up the charade, knowing what she knew. That's when the image of her leaving her house earlier entered his mind. All he could think was, "No wonder she looked so disgusted. She has to act like nothing is wrong, which means she still has to pretend affection for the man." He actually felt sick when that thought continued on its path, and he realized she probably had to do more than simply kiss him. His last thought before he fell asleep was, "No wonder she came into work looking so broken."


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning Don found himself waking up to the sound of both his phone, which was next to his bed, as well as Liz's phone in the living room. He let out a groan of protest, not wanting to leave the comfort of his bed yet, but when he heard the sound of Liz walking around he made himself get out of bed. He prided himself on being a good host when he actually found himself as one; which in truth was very rarely.

He shuffled out into the living room yawning and was pleasantly surprised when Liz pushed a warm mug of coffee into his hands. He took a grateful sip before looking at Liz, wondering how she had gotten ready so fast. She seemed to pick up on the question because with a slight shrug, she said, "I've been up for a little over an hour."

Ressler opened his mouth to say something but his phone when off again, so instead, he answered with a curt, "Ressler", assuming it was the office, since both his and Liz's phones had gone off before. He was surprised, however, when instead he heard the somber tone of Dembe.

"Agent Ressler, I'm to inform you that you will be meeting Mr. Reddington in an hour.I'll text you the address." Before Ressler could respond the other side of the line went dead, leaving him with a slight frown on his face. He looked down at his phone with slight confusion for a moment until Liz got his attention by lightly clearing her throat.

With a slight frown of confusion on her own face, she asked, "What was that about? Who was it?" Don opened his mouth to respond with some half-truth, but instead for the second time in only moments he was interrupted by a ringing phone, but this time by Liz's. Instead of waiting just to lie, he strode off as she answered, going to get ready for the day ahead.

THE BLACKLIST

Liz frowned at Ressler's hesitance to answer such a simple question but changed her focus when her phone when off. She answered it without looking at the caller id, instead keeping her eyes on Ressler as he turned and walked away, back toward his room. She answered with the same curtness as Ressler, "Keen."

She felt her blood run cold at the answering voice of her husband. "Hey sweetie, I just got your message. I was just phoning to see how your all-nighter went." There was a moment of silence before he added, in a sickly sweet tone, "I hope you got at least a little sleep."

Closing her eyes to pull herself together, she took a deep breath. Trying to sound like the loving wife she was supposed to be in his eyes, she said, "Aw, thanks love, but don't worry. I managed a few hours. I've run on less before." She chuckled lightly, hoping he didn't see through the guise.

She sat down on the couch as he started to talk again. "That's good. So, I was wondering if you were going to be home in time for dinner tonight. I was thinking of making something."

Liz was searching her mind for an excuse when she saw Ressler, now dressed in a suit, walk back into the room, and before she knew what she was saying, she said, "Oh, honey, I don't know if I can tonight. I already have plans for dinner with Ressler. I don't want to cancel on him; he's been through a lot lately."

Liz watched Ressler stop in his tracks and throw a questioning look at her. She could see underlying suspicion as well as something else she couldn't name at the moment. She sent him a pleading look though. After a few beats he simply let out a breath and continued into the kitchen where he grabbed more coffee.

Her attention was pulled back to the phone by Tom. She could hear barely contained aggravation as he offered, "Why don't you bring him here. I'd love a chance to meet someone you work with under friendlier circumstance than last time."

Forcing herself to laugh slightly, she knew she would have to concede, so she agreed, "Sure. That sounds like a great idea. I'll pass the invitation along when I see him at work later." A part of her hated how easily she could lie, even if it was to Tom. After promising to tell him as soon as she had an answer they said their good byes, and Liz couldn't help closing her eyes in pain as she said, "Love you too". For a moment after the phone went dead she just sat there with her eyes closed, her phone clutched tightly in her hand.

She didn't open her eyes until she heard Don clear his throat. Looking up slowly she wasn't surprised to be met with a confused and questioning frown. Sitting down in the chair closest to her, he asked, "So you're lying to your husband now, Liz?"

She sent him a guilty look before answering, her eyes on her hands, trying to be as honest as possible without actually telling him what was going on. "I don't really want to see him right now." She finally looked at him as she apologized, "I'm sorry for using you in my lie. I didn't know what to say and you were the first thing that popped into my head."

The frown was still on Ressler's face, but she saw that same indiscernible look cross his face again before he asked, "So I guess dinner at your place tonight then?" She saw a slight smile cross his face before she let out the breath she hadn't realized she was holding.

Laughing a real laugh for the first time that day, she simply nodded as she said, "I guess so, if you're willing to go." She tried to keep the pleading look off her face as she waited for his response. She didn't want to be alone with Tom, or whoever the hell he was, but knew that she couldn't just avoid him without raising his suspicion. At least this way she was there, but not alone.

She was pulled from her worried thoughts as Ressler simply replied with a, "Sounds like a plan then." His gentle smile put her at ease, making it so she could return it with a genuine smile of her own. She felt safe knowing that Don would be there. She knew she could trust him.

After sitting in a comfortable silence for a few minutes they both got up to finish getting ready. By the time they were in their own vehicles, pulling out from Ressler's apartment building, Liz found her heart a little light for the first time in what seemed like forever, even if in truth it had only been a few days.

THE BLACKLIST

As Ressler started driving toward the diner he was supposed to meet Red at he felt conflicted. A part of him was happy to have plans with Liz and to have been the first thing to pop into her head when she felt panicked, but another part was worried and angry at the happy part for not being worried as well. He wasn't stupid; he knew she was afraid to be alone with her husband, and that only made him ask himself if it was a founded fear beyond knowing he was a liar who forced himself into her life. He couldn't help but wonder if Tom had done something more to her to cause the fear.

He was only pulled from his thoughts when he pulled up to a small diner that was out of the way. There were only a few cars in the parking lot, so when he entered he wasn't surprised to find the place deserted. Red and Dembe, who were sitting apart, were the only costumers to be seen. The only others in the diner were two waitresses and a cook behind a window in the kitchen.

Red, ignoring the fact there was no one else there to distract him, waved his hand when he saw Ressler, raising his voice slightly to call, "Donald, over here my boy. Come sit down, have some breakfast." As Ressler sat, Red leaned forward conspiratorially as he added, "I recommend the waffles. The best in the states, I assure you."

For a moment Ressler let himself wonder if Red somehow knew that waffles were his favorite food, but quickly decided that, yes, of course he knew, he was Reddington. Turning his thoughts from food, Don decided to go for light conversation, as he now knew Red liked to start these meetings that way. So lightly, he asked, "Only in the states? Where are the best in the world?"

Red smiled broadly as he said, "Actually, surprisingly, I'd have to say Canada. There is this lovely little place nestled in the Rockies. I think it's because they make their own syrup."

Don nodded before turning to the waitress that had walked over to take their order. Giving her a slight smile he ordered waffles and a glass of milk. Red ordered the same only with orange juice. While they waited for their food, and even after it arrived, they continued with small talk; small talk that revolved quite a bit around Don, but he said nothing of it. He figured Red would get the information if he wanted it whether he told him or not, so it was probably best it came from him first hand.

It wasn't until Red was throwing cash onto the table that he started with why they were there. "I fear that Tom is becoming far too suspicious of Lizzy. If he figures out his cover is blown I fear what he might do."

Don was unsure how to respond. Unsure what he could do. Finally, he simply asked, "What do you need me to do?" Red was silent for a few moments, looking at Ressler with an intense stare.

Finally, Red leaned back in his booth, and simply said, "Continue to keep an eye on her, and until I can look into Tom's current behavior a little more, try to keep her at work, or at least away from home."

Nodding, Don told Red, "I'm supposed to have dinner with her and Tom tonight at their place, so I'll be able to keep an eye on her there." He thought for a moment before adding, "I can probably make it so I can stay on their couch tonight; just pretend to be drunk or something."

Squinting his eyes slightly, the way Don recognized Red did when he was analyzing something, he started to nod slowly. Finally he said, "That will have to do. I don't like the idea of her being around that man at all but I suppose it is a necessary evil if we wish not to raise suspicion."

Red then started to stand, and before Don knew what he was doing, he asked, "Why are you working so hard to protect her?"

Ressler was somewhat surprised when Reddington sent him a bemused smile as he said, "It's my job to protect her, and I hope one day Donald, you will be fortunate enough to know the job as well."

With that, Reddington swept out of the diner, Dembe close behind. Don was left with a confused frown on his face. He felt like he knew what Reddington meant by that, but a bigger part refused to believe it. His mind wouldn't let it go though. He couldn't help but recognize the protective glint in Red's eyes, a glint he had seen many times over when talking to families of victims that were left behind to deal with the tragedy. Hell, he'd seen it in the eyes of his own family since he became an agent. He just couldn't believe it was truly the same look.


	6. Chapter 6

The first thing that Don noticed as he walked into work was that Keen was nowhere to be found. When he asked Meera and Aram if they had seen her they simply said they had not, Aram adding in that he had barely seen her in days. That put Don slightly on edge as he sat at his own desk because he was sure that if they realized something was up, then Cooper probably had as well.

Don tried to turn his focus to his work, but found his mind wandering back to Liz every few minutes. After the fifth time he failed to keep his focus on work he gave in to the distraction. Instead he started going over a plan for that night. He decided to make it look like he was drinking more than he was, and that he would pretend it was affecting him more than it was, so they would feel obliged, hopefully, to offer up the couch. He had no doubts Liz would, but he didn't know about Tom. He doubted the man wanted other agents sniffing around his house again.

He admitted to himself that at least the dinner would prove to be useful for gathering more information, since Liz wasn't filling him in on things. He would be able to see how the two interacted, and ultimately see how Liz was around the man. He would also be able to see what kind of mistakes and slips Tom made, which could prove useful. Knowing how to read a man was very important in their line of work.

After staring at the papers in front of him for an hour or so, Ressler was startled from his thoughts by a large file being dropped on his desk. He quickly looked up only to see his boss frowning at him. "Agent Ressler, since you spent the last hour blankly staring at your desk, I thought you might like some work to do. I want you to read through this file then go and talk to some witnesses."

Sitting up straighter, and clearing his throat, Ressler obeyed Cooper with a quick, "Yes, sir". Cooper seemed satisfied enough as he turned to leave, but stopped at the sight of Keen walking by. Trying to defuse any possible situation, Ressler added, "Should I go fill Agent Keen in on the case assignment?"

That only backfired as Cooper sent a cool look toward Keen, saying, "No, I think you can handle this one on your own." Don wanted to say something, anything, to defend Liz, but before he could open his mouth again Cooper was already on a war path that led straight to her. He couldn't help the slight wince that escaped him when Cooper addressed Keen.

THE BLACKLIST

Liz jumped slightly when Cooper all but yelled her name, "Agent Keen, how nice of you to finally join us." Before she could say anything he added, "My office, now."

Quietly, and with her head down, she followed Cooper. She knew that this would eventually happen, that her absents would be noticed, she had just hoped it would take longer. She had hoped that Ressler's apparent attempts to help her would work longer in her favor.

Once they were behind the closed door of his office, Cooper wasted no time in getting to the point. "Your behavior as of late is unacceptable, Agent Keen. You can't simply decide when you feel like working. You can't just show up late and leave whenever you feel like it. You have a job to do, Keen, a job you have been neglecting." There was a beat a silence before he asked, "Where have you been when you should have been here, doing your work, instead of having Agent Ressler do it for you?"

Elizabeth felt a pang of guilt at the mention of Ressler but she hadn't asked him to do that. As she looked at Cooper, who was looking at her sternly, she tried to come up with some sort of lie, but a part of her was stopping her. She didn't want to lie to her superior, so in the end she said nothing. She simply stared back. Her eyes were only pulled from the staring contest when she saw movement from the corner of her eye. Ressler walked by the window outside the office before knocking.

Growling slightly, Cooper called out, "Come in." As Ressler stepped into the office he sent Liz a sympathetic look, but quickly focused on Cooper informing him that he was leaving to go meet the first witness. Cooper simply nodded before giving him a look that was a clear dismissal. Throwing one more look at Liz Ressler was gone again, leaving the two remaining occupants of the office in another staring contest.

After it became obvious that neither were going to get anywhere, Cooper made up his mind. With a sigh, he looked at Keen and said, "If you won't tell me where you've been, while you should have been here, then I have no choice but to suspend you for a week." When Liz said nothing he told her, "This kind of behavior will not be tolerated in my unit Agent Keen, so when you come back I expect that you will have learned that."

Liz couldn't help the panic she was feeling. If Tom found out she was suspended then he would ask her why, and telling him it was because she was absent would only make him suspicious. It would make him want to know where she had been spending all her time if it wasn't at home or at work.

When she was finally able to pull her thoughts together, all she could manage was a weak, "Yes, sir." After another beat Cooper nodded, dismissing her, and she numbly made her way out of his office.

THE BLACKLIST

By the time that Ressler was walking back into the office he found his nerves very frayed. He had spent the last couple hours talking to a belligerent witness that insisted she knew everything he needed, but in the same breath refused to tell him what she knew. He had finally given up, leaving a card with her, telling her that if she felt like talking for real, that she should call him, because he didn't have any more time to waste.

He was hoping to talk to Liz, but for the second time that day, as he looked around, he couldn't find her. He did find Aram at his desk, however, and asked him if he'd seen Liz. Aram frowned before answering, "Didn't you hear? Agent Keen got suspended for a week. Cooper sent her home hours ago."

Ressler felt his heart drop into his stomach as he asked, "Are you sure?" Aram seemed startled by the reaction Ressler didn't even think to hide before simply nodding that yes, he was sure. Before he could ask Ressler about his reaction, however, he had run off.

Hiding in an empty corner, Ressler took out his phone, quickly calling Red. The phone was picked up on the first ring with a simply, "Donald?"

Not wasting time with preamble, he asked, "Is Liz with you?" Don could practically hear the questioning look on the other end of the phone.

With clear confusion, Red said, "No." His tone became darker as he asked, "Isn't she with you at work, Donald?" Don didn't bother answering. Instead he just hung up.

Dialing another number, Don waited for the phone to pick up. He felt fear creep up his spine when it went to voice mail. "This is Elizabeth Keen. I'm busy at the moment but if you leave your name and number I'll be sure to get back to you." As Donald headed for the exit he couldn't help but worry.


	7. Chapter 7

Don tried his best not to break any traffic laws as he tore away from the parking lot. The longer he thought about it, the more his gut twisted. He kept telling himself that Liz was okay. That she probably hadn't even gone home. He knew she didn't want to be around her husband, but an annoying voice in his head pointed out that Tom wouldn't have even been at the house when Liz left work, that he would have been at his cover job. The annoying voice also pointed out that Liz was in yesterday's clothes and would probably want to go home to at least change.

Don hit the steering wheel angrily as he was forced to stop at a red light. He felt helplessly far away from Liz's house, and something was telling him that he didn't have time to spare. For what felt like the hundredth time in only minutes he debated just turning on his sirens and skipping past the evening rush hour traffic. The only thing that stopped him was the fact he didn't actually have any real proof that Liz was in trouble. All he really knew was that he could only reach her voice mail.

As Don was forced to stop, yet again, this time for pedestrians, he took out his phone deciding that he would try to call her again. As he listened to the ringing he found himself hoping and praying that she would just pick up the phone. He wished that he could hear her voice on the other end, and feel like a complete idiot for over reacting, but once again he was greeted only by her voice mail. Swearing loudly he chucked his phone into the seat next to him, sending angry glares at the thing as he drove, as if it was to blame.

THE BLACKLIST

As Liz stepped out of the shower she felt a little better. The hot water beating down on her back had managed to release some of her tension. She was just slipping into a dress when her phone buzzed from beside the bed. She slowly made her way over as she put her hair up.

She was a little concerned when she saw she had six missed calls; two from Red, three from Donald, and one from Tom. She was just about to call back Red when she thought she hear something down stairs. She stopped in her movement to listen, but after a moment of complete silence that filled her with a strange fear, she looked back to her phone.

As she looked on Don's name on her phone she started back on a debate she had been having with herself all day. She wanted to bring Don in on things. She wanted to tell him because she trusted him and he made her feel safe. After a few more moment she came to a decision, the decision to call Donald back and tell him everything. She was just about to hit his name when she suddenly sensed someone else in the room with her.

She quickly shot a look around the room and felt all her blood run cold when she saw Tom standing in the door way trying to look calm, but clearly pissed off. She quickly tried to smooth the startled look from her face as she stood up from where she was sitting on the edge of the bed, and slowly started walking toward him, even though every instinct she had was telling her to run in the opposite direction.

With a hard tone, Tom was the first to speak, pointing out, "You're home early." Even though Tom had on a slight smile, his anger was all too obvious to her.

Plastering on a fake smile of her own, she lied, "After working late, I thought I'd leave early so I could help you with dinner. You know how I love to watch you cook." With all the will power she had she took a final step toward her husband and lightly put her hand on his arm. She felt him tense for only a fraction of a second, but it was enough to put her on edge, even more so than she already was.

It only took a second for Tom to widen his fake smile, and school his tone perfectly, before he replied with, "How sweet of you, honey. Why don't we head down to the kitchen then and get started?" Liz said nothing, simply nodded with a smile as she started to follow him out of the room. She slowed her pace enough so he made it into the kitchen before him, and stopping just outside of it, she looked back down to the phone still in her hand.

After making sure that Tom was busy in the kitchen she dialed Don's number.

THE BLACKLIST

Don only stopped glaring at his phone when it started to ring.

The car swerved as he lunged his hand at it in the passenger seat. He didn't even look at the caller id before half yelling, "Hello", into the phone.

His heart dropped as Red's voice came through the other side. "Donald, you can't just ask me something like that then hang up on me." There was only a beat of silence before Red was demanding, "Why were you asking if Lizzy was with me?"

Don sighed as he said, "Because Cooper suspended Liz while I was out on a case, and I came back to find out she was gone. I tried to call her but I just got her voice mail."

His frustration must have been showing through because the first thing Red said back was, "You need to calm down, Donald. It does no one any good if you are too worked up to think straight." Red seemed to give him a minute to gather himself before he continued, asking, "Why do you seem so worried that something has happened since Lizzy left work? Unless Lizzy tells Tom that she was suspended, I don't know of any reasons why he would suddenly be more suspicious of her. After all, she has been playing the role of loving wife, sleeping and waking next to him."

As Don blew through a red light, caring less and less about the traffic laws, he off handily corrected Red, saying, "She didn't sleep next to him last night, she slept on my couch."

The car suddenly jerked as Don found himself startled by Red's low and angry growl of, "What?" Don was speechless as he felt anger radiation through the phone before Red asked, "What do you mean she slept on your couch? Why didn't she go home?"

Feeling slightly defensive, Don said, "She drank too much and couldn't drive home so I offered up my couch. I wasn't about to let her drive like that."

Red let out a frustrated growl as he said, "Tom has every reason to be suspicious if his wife didn't come home last night."

Don spluttered a little before finally getting out, "She gave him an excuse. She said she had to work all night; it wouldn't be the first time."

He could hear Red sigh before he said, "That is the oldest excuse in the book. No self-respecting married person would believe that under normal circumstances, and these are far from that."

All the fear that was already there multiplied tenfold as Ressler quietly asked, "Do you think he knows something is up?"


	8. Chapter 8

By the time Ressler was hanging up from his talk with Red he felt a strong sense of panic and foreboding. Red had only gotten angrier the longer they talked, and in combination with what he already knew about the other man and his latest suspicion, he was pretty sure it was his way of dealing with fear and worry. The idea that a man like Reddington had fear over anything, most of all this, was enough to put Don on edge.

When his phone rang again he felt the same hope from before as he answered it, this time with a desperate, "Liz?"

He let out a huge sigh of relief when he heard her voice on the other end, but his fear went nowhere because of the tone of her voice as she all but whispered, "Ya, it's me. I was wondering if you are on your way over yet."

Don's hand itched to flip on his siren as he told her, "I'm not too far away. Ten minutes tops." He forced himself to ask the next, simple question. "Why?" He was hoping it would be an opening for her to let him in on what was happening, if not at least why she sounded a little frightened.

He heard a slight sigh through the phone before she answered, still whispering, "I was just wondering because there is something I want to talk to you about and I was hoping to do it in person."

Feeling a slight bit of relief, Don tried to coax her into telling him, "You can just tell me now Liz." There was a long moment of silence until Don heard something in the background and asked, "Liz? You still there?" Then the call was disconnected and this time Don didn't stop his hand from turning on the sirens as he dialed Red's number.

THE BLACKLIST

Liz found her phone being snatched from her hand as she opened her mouth, ready to tell Don everything. She quickly whirled around to see Tom glaring down at the phone. She could see his disguise slipping as he angrily asked, "Why are you calling Agent Ressler, Liz?"

Grasping for the most likely answer, she simply said, "I was just calling him about dinner tonight. I wanted to know when he was getting off work."

Tom gave her an unbelieving look as he slowly started walking toward her, daring her to come up with a better lie. Obviously trying to catch her in it, he asked, "Why didn't Ressler get off early too? I assume he worked just as late as you did last night. After all, you two are partners."

Liz was backing up with each step he took forward. She knew what he was insinuating, but she also knew what it would sound like if she wasn't suspicious of him. It would sound like a jealous husband accusing his wife of an affair, so she went with playing dumb. "Are you accusing me of cheating on you, Tom?"

She watched as a moment of doubt sparked in Tom's eyes, but just as quickly the same barely concealed anger returned, but he still played along. "Maybe I am, Liz. Did you even work late last night, or were just off somewhere else, maybe with Donald?" He had her backed into a wall now. She couldn't stop her eyes from darting over to her gun safe in the living room.

Kicking herself for letting him trap her into the question, knowing he was only interested in the first half, Liz knew what she had to do. She knew he would see through a lie, so she continued on with part of the truth, knowing how it would sound. She pretended to be ashamed as she said, "No, you're right, I didn't work late." She couldn't help the slight smirk as she added, "I was at Don's place all night." She then refused to look him in the eye, now fully committed to playing the part of the guilty unfaithful wife.

Liz was surprised by the reaction she got from Tom. With an angry huff he hit the wall beside her head. She couldn't help looking up with a start and was stunned by the pure rage she saw there. The mask that Tom had worn for years was gone and she found herself looking into the face of the complete stranger she now knew him to be.

THE BLACKLIST

Pulling up outside the house Ressler barely waited for the SUV to stop before jumping out. He could still hear the barely hidden fear that was in Liz's half whispered words before the line went dead. He knew that Red wasn't far behind, but he didn't have time to wait until he had back up. He automatically made his way for the door. As he realized it was locked he put his ear up to the door. Only moments later there was a crash from inside, so taking a step back, Ressler drew his gun as he kicked the door in.

If he hadn't been so well trained for situations just like this he would have frozen at the site before him. Just as he came into the living room he saw Liz stumbling backwards from Tom before tipping over the back of the coach and hitting her head on the coffee table. He also saw Tom turning and lunging for a gun that was on the floor in the dining room. Neither person noticed Ressler's entrance, so he used that to his advantage. Before Tom could turn with the gun in his hand Ressler was tackling him to the ground.

Tom proved to be a better fighter than Ressler thought as he managed to knee him in the gut, momentarily causing him to lose his balance enough for Tom to flip him so he was pinned to the ground, sending his gun off in some unknown direction. Tom quickly delivered two blows on either side of Ressler's face before he could defend himself, finally getting a blow to Tom's abdomen followed by one to the jaw. As Ressler rolled out from under Tom he kicked the gun from his hand, sending it gliding across the floor and into the living room.

That's when noticed two things. First, Ressler noticed that Elizabeth still hadn't moved from where she had landed when he arrived, and second, Tom had found a large object off a shelf and was now holding it back. Ressler looked back just in time to feel the crushing blow to the back of his head. Everything went black for a moment as he fell to the floor, but he could still hear. He could hear Tom scrambling toward the living room, toward Elizabeth.

Sucking in a large breath, Ressler forced himself back onto his feet, and even though the room was spinning, he stumbled toward the blur that was Tom. He managed to get to him just as he was standing back up, gun in hand, tuning toward where Elizabeth lay motionless on the floor. This time Ressler put all he could into tackling the man, sending them both rocketing toward the ground, crushing the air from both their lungs. Ressler heard the gun sliding across the floor again as he tried to gain back some of his breath.

Both men then noticed Ressler's gun, partially under the couch. As Ressler pushed himself up, however, he became painfully away that his ankle had been hurt during the last tackle, and with a pained yelp, fell back to the floor. He was up again on his knees quickly, but that was all the time Tom needed to get to the gun.

Tom stepped to the other side of Elizabeth, so she was between them as he stood over her and pointed the gun at her head. Knowing he wouldn't be able to take Tom down again with a his ankle how it was, Don did the only thing he could. He flung himself toward Elizabeth, using his own body to shield her from Tom.


	9. Chapter 9

Don breathed heavily as he stared up at Tom. He was trying to gauge what the other man would do next from his position on the floor. He was leaning on one elbow with both arms going out to the side, trying to cover as much of Elizabeth as possible.

After half of minute of Tom glaring down at him, Don finally managed a breathless, "Tom. Think about what you are doing here." He tried to calm his thoughts as he tried to calm the other man. "You don't need to do this."

Tom let out a near hysteric laugh as he waved the gun a little, saying, "Really, Agent Ressler? You're going with, 'you don't need to do this.' I thought all that fancy FBI training would have taught you something a little better than that." There was a tense moment of silence before he continued, asking, "So, what am I doing here, Agent Ressler?" He smirked and glared down at him as he added, "Or should I call you Don? That's what Liz calls you, isn't it?"

There was a moment of doubt in Don's mind as he saw jealousy flash across Tom's face. The man was talking like a cheated spouse, not whatever the hell he was, but he could also see the cold and ruthless part of Tom. He could see the part that was hired to get close to Elizabeth for some horrible unknown reason that had to do with Reddington.

Waving his gun again, Tom motioned impatiently for him to answer the question, but he had no clue what to say. Instead, he told Tom what he was doing there. "I can tell you what I'm doing here." He all but growled as he said, "I'm protecting Liz from her _husband_, and as long as I'm still breathing, you won't be hurting her."

Tom let out the same ugly, near hysteric, laugh as he said, "Oh, trust me. That won't be an issue. I wasn't planning on leaving you breathing any more than her." Tom bent down, leveling his glare with Don's, as he bit out, "She was a job. Marriage was a means to keep watch on her, but the funny thing is, even though it was fake, I still _really _hate that she cheated on me." He sneered as he added, "And with _you _of all people." He stood up again, wildly flailing the gun as he said, "I was the perfect husband. I was everything she wanted. Any problems in our marriage, I made her think were her fault." He brought the gun back down to be aimed at him as he hissed out, "Yet she still goddamn cheated."

Don honestly had no idea why Tom seemed to think Liz had cheated on him, but as he felt Liz started to stir behind him, he decided it was his best bet to keep Tom distracted from her. Shifting his weight to try and better block her, he bit back, "Maybe it was _because _you made her feel like she was the problem." The rage that his words sparked in the other man had him flinching back a little. It was becoming obvious that Tom had some kind of twisted possessive feelings about Liz.

THE BLACKLIST

The first thing Liz became aware of was yelling and angrily hissed words. She couldn't make them out, but she could tell who the two people were; Tom and Donald. She shifted her head, trying to open her eyes when the words being spoken started making sense.

Tom was yelling, "So you did sleep with my wife!" Liz stiffened slightly at the words. Her head was killing her and she didn't like that she was lost in the conversation.

She was a little surprised when Don half laughed out, "Is it really a surprise that she would go running to a real man? That she would come running to me?" Liz felt a confused frown on her face as she tried to make sense of what Don was trying to achieve. Even though she had yet to open her eyes, she absently realized Don was hovering over her.

Liz could feel the intensity in the air as Tom gritted out, "At least I was able to keep Liz alive." She could hear Don's breath hitch painfully above her. She suddenly regretted every word she had ever said to Tom, every time she had talked to him about her life. She regretted telling him about Donald and Audrey. She had provided Tom with the only weakness she knew Don had.

The sound of a cocking gun made her flinch, and she finally opened her eyes. She could now see that Don was between her and Tom, shielding her from him. She could also see that Don was holding his left leg at an odd angle. It didn't take long to realize it was hurt. She tried to shift to see Tom but Don moved every time she did.

Liz stopped trying to look past Don when he started to speak, low and calm, like someone would a cornered wild animal. "Stop and think Tom. You've been under cover for two years and you haven't hurt her yet." Liz furrowed her brow as she wondered how he knew that before she was listening to him speak again, "Something tells me you aren't supposed to hurt her." She heard him swallow thickly before saying, "I think it's the opposite. You're supposed to keep her safe, aren't you, because she the only leverage you and whoever you work for has over Reddington?"

Before Liz knew what was happening Don was turning over and wrapping her in his arms, pressing her as close to him as possible while Tom said, "Well, order's change."

The sound of a gun shot rang loudly through the living room.

THE BLACKLIST

Don waited for the pain. This ears were still ringing from the shot that went off, but he didn't feel the pain. After what felt like hours, but was only seconds, he raised his head up enough to look at the room, and he felt Liz doing the same thing under him.

They were both surprised to see Red with unbridled rage clear across his face as he stood over Tom, who was now writhing in pain on the ground, holding his knee. They were both unsettled by the intensity on the older man's face. They were used to seeing him always cool and in control, but he was anything but in that moment.

Red squatted down next to Tom, shoving the barrel of his gun to the man's temple, before fiercely growling out between clenched teeth, "Nobody and I mean _nobody_, gets away with trying to harm _my_ daughter!" As Red's finger pulled down on the trigger three people flinched at the click of the gun. Gaining back some of his calm, Red added, "Luckily for you my Lizzy doesn't condone murder, so I'll let her decide what we do with you." However, that didn't stop Red from delivering a fierce kick to Tom's stomach as he stood back up.

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**One more chapter after this.**


	10. Chapter 10

_**I'm not one to do author notes but I thought I would put a quick thanks in to all of the readers who have reviewed. It truly makes my day when I find out someone likes my story, so, thank you! I hope you like that last chapter of this story :)** _

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Just as quickly as Red had shown up, his mood shifted from furious to one of concern. The second he was standing up straight again he took a step toward the two Agents, ignoring the man behind him who Dembe was cuffing, and stooped back down, kneeling before them. They were both looking at the man in amazement and with a little fear.

For a few moments Don and Liz just sat frozen and it wasn't until Red spoke that Ressler shifted from his protective stance over Liz. Red had a slight frown on his face as he looked at Liz, asking, "Are you okay, Lizzy?"

Liz opened her mouth to say something, anything really, but all that came out was a slight squeak. Don sat beside her, shifting his eyes between the two as he waited for her response. He was a little surprised when what she finally half whispered was, "When I asked you, you said you weren't my father." She sounded hurt, and it showed in her eyes as she asked, "How could you lie to me about that, and after Sam died?"

Don shifter his eyes back to Red and was surprised by the shame he saw there. A sad smile pulled at Red's lips as he quietly answered, "I thought I was protecting you Lizzy. If anybody finds out you're my daughter they'll try to use you against me." The smile completely fell and turned into something dark as he added, "They'll hurt you, and I could never live with myself if that happened."

A sad smile much like Red's crossed Liz's face and it had Don wondering how he had never seen the resemblance before. However, he was pulled from that thought when he heard Liz somewhat angrily reply. "Well it's a little late for that, isn't it?" As if to prove her point she let her eyes go to Tom, who was still writhing in pain on the ground, only now with his hands behind his back and Dembe standing over him.

Both Red and Don winced at that. Don couldn't help but sympathize with Red. He had seen over the last few days how much Red cared about Liz, and what he was willing to do to protect her, and now he understood why. That was when Don realized something, something that he couldn't keep to himself because he knew Liz would want to know. They both started and looked at him when he cleared his throat before he asked Red, "Is that why you handed yourself into the FBI? Is that why you came back, because you knew Liz was in trouble?"

Liz stared at Don for a moment, taking in his words, before turning to look at Red and she was a little surprised to see no denial there. Looking down at his hands, all he said was, "I waited until I was sure he could be a real threat." After the silence grew thick again, he closed his eyes with a pained smile as he added, "I didn't want to cause you anymore pain in your life, Lizzy. God knows you've been through enough and I'm already to blame for far too much of it."

It was obvious that Red was surprised by what Liz said next. With tears in her eyes, she all but whispered, "Thank you." She wanted to say more. She wanted to say thank you for saving her life, for keeping an eye on her even if she hadn't known about it. She wanted to hug him because she finally had her father back. Not the father that took her in and raised her, but the father she had blurry, faint memories of; the father who used to make her feel safe and loved when she was only a little girl.

Red seemed to understand her though, even without the words. A true smile, although faint, pulled at his lips. He leaned forward a little and placed a kiss on Elizabeth's forehead. Quietly, he told her, "It's a father's job to protect his daughter. No thanks is necessary, Lizzy."

Father and daughter looked at each other for a few more moments before they seemed to come back to reality. It was the pained hiss that Ressler accidentally let out when he tried to shift away to give them some privacy that did it.

When both pairs of eyes fell on him with concern he couldn't help the faint blush that he felt creeping up the back of his neck and up his ears. Awkwardly, he apologized, "Um, sorry." He tried to shift away again but Liz stopped him by grabbing his hand while Red put a hand on his shoulder, keeping him in place.

Don didn't know how Red knew, but the man admonished him with a, "Donald, really, you should know better than to try and put weight on that ankle. It could be broken."

He wanted to argue but before he could Liz added, "Just stay still, Don. You already got hurt protecting me; I don't need to feel guiltier because you hurt yourself trying to give me space I don't need." Don didn't say anything in response. He simply stopped trying to move.

Breaking yet another silence, Red finally said, "I called Cooper before I got here. They shouldn't be too far behind, then Dembe and I will bring you two to the hospital. Lizzy, you need your head checked out, and Don, at best your ankle is sprained." He frowned down at the limb before adding, almost to himself, "Although it's almost definitely broken."

Even though it was only a few minutes later that Cooper showed up with the team, it was much longer until things were sorted out enough for Red to take them to the hospital. Red had helped Ressler onto the couch while they waited, so as everything was happening he and Liz sat next to each other. At some point Liz fell asleep against his side while he gave his statement to Meera. Liz had already finished giving hers to Aram. Red was off in the living room giving Cooper his own still when he did finish so he just sat there contently waiting with a protective arm around Liz. He didn't miss Aram and Meera standing off to the side, throwing glances at them, or Meera's phone 'casually' being pointed in their direction, but he ignored it.

When it came time to go to the hospital he gently woke Liz and she helped him hobble out to the waiting car. They stayed silent throughout the trip and once they were in the ER they got separated. They both needed x-rays. Throughout the hours it took for them to be poked, prodded, and treated, Don found himself worrying about Liz being angry with him.

It was no secret that honesty was extremely important to Liz, especially now, after being faced with so much dishonesty, after finding out most of the last two years of her life had been a lie. Don was worried that when she realized he knew too much she would be angry enough to want nothing to do with him. That was why he found it difficult to say anything when he hobbled out into the waiting room on his crutches to finder her waiting there for him, Red at her side.

She gave him a confused frown at the odd behavior, but he was looking down at his feet so he didn't see it. Red did, however, and decided to speak first. "Donald, you and Lizzy will be staying with me for the next few days. Lizzy has a concussion, meaning she needs to be watched, and I see I was right that you broke you ankle." Don didn't look up, simply nodded. Red frowned a little before sighing out, "Come on you two. We could all use a little sleep and Dembe is waiting with the car outside."

Liz spent the entire trip to Red's frowning at Ressler, who was in the front and couldn't see her. It wasn't until they had parked and Dembe was helping Ressler into the house that Red stopped Liz with a hand on her shoulder. Gently pulling her to the side, he told her, "He thinks you're angry with him, Lizzy." She frowned at him, furrowing her brows in confusion, but she didn't have to ask the question before he answered, "He's worried you're angry that he knew what was going on and didn't tell you." Once again she didn't have to ask before he said, "I saw him tailing you the other day and confronted him. I brought him up to speed on what we knew, but I wanted to wait and see if you would bring him in on everything yourself." Red shifter slightly on his feet before adding, "I didn't want to lose any more of your trust so I wanted him to keep it to himself until you went to him. I knew you eventually would."

Tilting her head to the side, she asked, "If you knew I would why didn't you wait?" Red could see that she was just curious; that she wasn't actually mad at him.

He let out a slight laugh as he said, "Because, Lizzy, I knew he would help protect you with his life." Liz couldn't help the smile that spread across her face or the blush warming up her cheeks at his words. Unable to stop herself, she took a step forward and hugged him. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her back tightly, resting his chin on her head.

Red didn't say anything else; it wasn't his place to. He knew Lizzy would talk to Donald, he just hoped Donald had enough intelligence to use the opportunity to tell Liz, or that at least she would tell him herself.

Even though they were dragging into the ungodly hours of the morning Liz and Don both found they couldn't sleep. Don was sitting in the dining room when Liz came shuffling in with two cups of tea. After a quick glance at her Don focused on the cup placed in front of him. He didn't look up when Liz said his name but thanked her for the tea. Liz wasn't pleased with that, so she gently cupped his cheek with her hand and made him look up at her. When she finally had him making eye contact she sent him a reassuring smile as she said, "Thank you, Donald, for everything, not just saving my life." She saw doubt in his eyes, so she added, "Thank you for helping Red." She leaned forward and kissed his other cheek as she gently added, "Thank you for having my back."

Don felt it hard to breathe with her so close but managed a faint, "I told you I always would." The smile she sent him in return had his own lips pulling into a small smile. He put his hand over the one she had on his cheek as he said, "I would do anything to protect you, Liz." He couldn't help the slight frown as he whispered, "I would sooner die than see you hurt again."

Liz felt her heart skip a beat at the honesty in his words and the look of complete love on his face. Before she could really think about it she pulled his face forward and brought their lips together in a gentle kiss. Before long, Don had moved both his hands to hold her face as he kissed her back, all doubts about how she felt gone. After a few minutes, when they pulled back for air, Don pulled Liz into his lap and wrapped his arms around her. Liz buried her face in his neck and that's how they stayed. The two clung to each other. They felt a need to comfort and be comforted. They needed each other.

Red smiled at the scene before him. Nothing made him happier than to see his little girl finally falling for a good man that would do everything in his power to protect her and make her happy. It was every father's dream.


End file.
